Best Bar Promo

[Brewdigger]

Just working through some plans to launch our draft beer with some bars and would be interested in people's answer to the following question

What's the most successful promotion you have done with a bar to promote your draft beer to their customers?

[Jephro]

Most importantly i would say get the staff on your side, they can make or break you. Mainly bartenders and cocktail servers, they are the ones on the front line. Go eat there, drink there, tip well, and buy a regular a pint your beer. If they like you, and/or your product they will sell suggest it and sell it. Besides that, Brewer's nights have always been a hit IMHO. I also used to go into bars where we had accounts and give out logo pints and T-shirts to customers drinking our product.

[einhorn]

tough question

Tough, but good question.

There are a variety of options for bar promos. In my experience, it really depends on the bar, the customers and mostly the STAFF (as Jephro states). My suggestion on accounts with LOTS of potential: talk to owner and find out when they have team meetings or similar. Ask to talk to staff and explain a bit about yourself, your company and your beers. Set up a COMBINED staff competion where you pay for a small staff party on an off day (pizza & beer), depending on how much of your product is sold. Get them involved in promoting and drinking your beer after work so that customers see them enjoying your products. They have a large influence on your success in the outlet.

It depends a lot on how much effort (read: $) you want to put into each promo. I have seen scratch-n-win promos work very well, but were expensive to do. Price-off always works well with new accounts. Be creative, ask the owner what works in his place and try to do custom promos with him.